Too Busy To Sleep?

Before the invention of the light bulb in 1880, the average American got 10 hours of sleep every night. These days, the daily average for shuteye has dropped to 6.9 hours on weekdays and 7.5 hours on weekends. Millions of people suffer from some kind of sleep disorder, but many more make a conscious decision to restrict their sleep by voluntarily staying up later and/or getting up earlier.

The consequences of sleeping less than 6 hours each night are twofold: 1) An immediate decrease in productivity and 2) long-term issues with weight gain. Sleep depravation can disorganize the hormones that regulate appetite by decreasing levels of appetite-suppressing leptin and increasing levels of the ghrelin that stimulates appetite.

The Bigger Picture: If you're working out with weights to build a better physique, there's one more reason to make sure you get enough sack time. Your body does the majority of its muscle rebuilding while you sleep. Take that element out of the equation and you could end up working against yourself in the gym.